Ukulele

It is a Hawaiian word. There are two interpretations of what the word means.

One is 'jumping flea' which is either a reference to the flying fingers on the small instrument or the Portuguese man who was dancing about playing it.

The other is 'gift that came' in reference to the arrival from across the ocean and the adaptation by the Hawaiian people.

If you hold a ukulele in a right handed position, the string closest to you is the G string, or string 4. Then going down they continue as C, E then A, with the A string being furthest from you.

The C string is the thickest string and the A string is the thinnest.

Ukulele is a Hawaiian word. The instrument is the Hawaiian version of an instrument that came from Portugal.

They didn't discover the ukulele, they created it. It was based on an instrument that was native to their country. When they came to Hawaii, they made it with the materials they could find there and it became the ukulele.

Tenor and Soprano ukuleles are normally tuned the same way, though they don't have to be. Start with either one, neither is harder than the other to learn to play. Usually it is the done starting with the size that one likes the best. The tenor has a slightly longer fret scale, which makes it a bit easier for someone with big fingers or that is used to the larger guitar.

The history is well documented. The arrival of Portuguese immigrants to Hawaii in the late 1880's was the event that sparked the creation of the ukulele. Based on the native instruments that they brought with them, they made a new type of instrument from the native woods and materials available in the islands.

The chords are G, C and D

Strumming pattern for

G : DD

C : UU

D : DDUU

That is a tough question and one that has not been formalized anywhere. Here are a listing of some the terms that are used:

Ukuleleist

Ukeist

Uke player

Uker

George Formby (as in, "He's a regular George Formby.")

The double bass is much like the string bass, but it is also known as an upright bass, and commonly used in symphonies. It can be played with fingers, (pizzicato) but is usually played with a bow, like a violin. It looks like a big violin, and is played with the bottom of it, (opposite of where you tune the strings) at your feet, and the top around where your head is, while you are sitting down.

Try looking up "the breakup song" or look up a video on youtube called the 4 chord song tutorial. the chords for the breakup song are G, Em, C, D7....play those in that order and its a song! haha

Yes, it is very common. The sound of the ukulele has been associated with the islands for over 100 years. Hawaiian royalty embraced the instrument when it was created and it became a very popular music source.

You should tune it every time you pick it up to play. A new instrument, or one with new strings, will take a while to settle in. Tuning often will help it settle and make sure you are getting the right notes when you play.

Soprano is the smallest and the string length is 13 inches

Concert is the second smallest and is 15 inches from nut to bridge.

Tenor is second biggest and runs 17 inches.

The largest is the baritone and it is 19 inches.

Unfortunately, the answer from Ducks3599 is absolutely false. The cello DID NOT come before the violin and Louis Spohr was certainly NOT the "creator" of the violin as L. Spohr lived mostly in the 19th century. First mentions or depictions of violin go back to the 12-13th centuries. The 'cello (short of violoncello) did not come into the view until the 15th century.

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While this information is technically correct, the violin and cello, in basically their current form, both came into being in the mid 1500's as being designed by Andreas Amati. "Violins" prior to that time had a different shape and less strings. Other instruments that they evolved from, such as the viola da gamba, had versions that were of similar size to both but had more strings and frets.

David Lashof - Professional violin maker and appraiser.

Nothing, they are the same thing. The original ukulele was what is now referred to as the soprano. The larger concert size was made to get a bit more sound for a bigger audience. And then the tenor size, bigger, deeper sound.

The 6 string has doubled first and third strings tuned in octaves. Tuning 6 String: G CC E AA - adding an octave higher

The Son of the Sheik - 1926 was released on:

USA: 9 July 1926 (Los Angeles, California) (premiere)

USA: 5 September 1926

Finland: 18 November 1926

USA: 8 October 1937 (re-issue version)

Norway: 24 October 1938 (re-release)

Hungary: 22 July 1939

West Germany: 21 February 1988 (TV premiere)

The strumming pattern is 'Down Down Up Up Down Up'. The pattern is the same throughout the whole song, you have to keep repeating it. And you have to strum really fast, just play with the song to know the speed for strumming. Hope i helped!

If you have a standard tuned ukulele (GCEA), the G7 chord is:

Finger 1 - string 2 - fret 1

Finger 2 - string 3 - fret 2

Finger 3 - string 1 - fret 2

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I have included a link that details some great beginner tips for ukulele players

Most ukulele music is still traditional or folk Hawaiian music. When people think of the ukulele, that image of Don Ho, Hawaiian sands and breezy palm trees is still usually the image that pops into their heads, and rightfully so. However, there have been inroads in recent years in bringing the ukulele into more mainstream genres of music. More people are taking to the ukulele due to its relative short learning curve and portability, which means it is naturally seeping into other circles of musicians.

Ukulele covers of pop and rock songs are becoming more prominent. People like Jake Shimabukuro are dramatically increasing the allure of the ukulele. His popular and brilliant cover of former Beatle George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a YouTube sensation. So while most music is still relatively 'simple' in terms of what might be considered musical intensity, I think we are about to see a significantly greater presence of this fantastic instrument in the coming years.

The current official World Record is held by New Zealand, were on November 21, 2009 they had 1120 people strumming in unison at the NZ Ukulele festival. On May 28 2010, they are going to attempt to break that record.

No, though some can be used for both depending on the size and type. Metal strings are seldom used on an ukulele as the instrument is not designed for the stress.